Kitty pees/poops in his bedding

I'm desperate for help! I rescued a kitty from a hoarder. He didn't have to use a litter box because the entire house was a litter box - yes, it was disgusting! Anyway, I have the kitty in a large cage and he was peeing/pooping on his bedding. So, I removed the bedding from his cage and he hasn't pee'd/pooped outside the box. However, he continues to lay in the litter box even after he's used it.

I'm wondering if he will continue to pee/poop on bedding or even other areas once I let him roam around the house. I'm hoping to get him to break these nasty habits so I can adopt him out. I should also mention that I've already ruled out medical issues - nothing is wrong with him.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. He's such a sweet boy and I would love to give him a chance at a normal life.


Kim

Those that have dealt with shelter and hoarder kitties probably have better suggestions. But for now could you get him a cheap plastic colander? It would give him something else to lay in besides the litter box and since it wouldn't really be a good texture for peeing or pooping in he might not feel inclined to.

Maybe you can rig up a hammock for him to sleep in! We've done that for some of our foster kittens, to give them a sort of "loft" in their cages. They seem to love the comfort of a hammock, and since the surface is unsteady when walked on, it might help your kitty realize that this is a good place for sleeping, but not for pooping.

What I do is use an icepick to make small holes in the reinforced edges of a plain old terrycloth towel, then run heavy string through the holes and tie the strings to the uprights on the cage. You have to do some thinking in advance to be sure you place the holes right, and it's important to be able to stretch the towel tight -- it will sag quite a bit once the kitty lies down in it.

One last thing: it's a good idea not to let the edges of the towel meet the walls of the cage too closely -- I like to leave some space so the kitty can't get trapped or tangled.

I hope this helps! Bless you for taking this kitty into your home.

Awww poor baby. Thank you for rescuing him!

Well, I have a bit of good news. Last night I had the idea to put a box in his cage that is about the same dimension as the litter box - so far, he's used it as a bed and hasn't gone to the bathroom in it! I'm sooooo happy!

CarolPetunia - thanks for the wonderful idea for a hammock. I've been wanting to make one but I'm not big on sewing and your method should be perfect!

I should also note that I'm falling head over heels in love with the big guy and as much as I don't need another cat, I might end up keeping him......don't think my other kitties will be too happy about this though. :-(

Since cats usually won't go to the bathroom where they eat, you could also try feeding him and/or leaving treats in the box.